This is a combination of a competition post and the usual self assessment. Six weeks ago I started messing with my diet so we’ll see how it worked and if 12 weeks of the same template was to much.
My training template:
- Monday: Get-Ups (groundwork)
- Tuesday: Swings (hinge pattern)
- Wednesday: Clean & Press (push pattern)
- Thursday: Goblet and Front Squats (squat pattern)
- Friday: Overhead/Rack/Farmer’s Carry (loaded carry)
With this program I maintained the 71.2lb Get Up and the strength of my press increased. The conditioning fell however. These were my competition results last week. The goal was pressing the 53lb kettlebell as many times as possible and 100 snatches in 5 minutes.
Military Press
Left: 6 reps (41% of my bodyweight) +2 from last time in Sept 2015
Right: 4 reps (38.5% of my bodyweight) -1 from Sept 2015
Snatch Test
20 reps in 5 minutes (-26 reps)
As far as the left side goes I’m back to an old personal record. The conditioning was surprising at first, then I thought about it. The ballistics only being for one day is good to train the hinge and core strength but wasn’t done enough for an anaerobic conditioning hit.
Diet: Tried LeanGains with a neurotic look at my waist line and not seeing an improvement over the course of weeks. Plus I was tired of being hungry, so I just cut out junk like desserts, breads, and milk per a T-Nation article. That’s been two weeks so I’m not expecting an immediate change/
Let’s see what that’s done for body composition.
Body Composition (inches)
Body Part Before After -/+
Neck 14 13.75 -.25
Shoulders 43.25 43.50 +.25
Chest 38 37.25 -.75
Waist 33.5 33.5 0
Biceps 12.62 12.50 -.12
Forearms 10.82 10.68 -.14
Thighs 22 21.5 -0.5
Calves 13.5 13.75 +.25
Weight 157.6lbs 154 -3.6lbs
Body Fat % 18.1% 18.5% +0.4%
Lean Body Mass 129.2lbs 125.5 -3.7lbs
As a strength program, the template worked to increase my strength. File this under success. The eating though, well I lost weight, unfortunately it’s all muscle. The next cycle will be interesting, I’m tackling the 10,000 Swing Challenge by Dan John. 10,000 swings in 5 weeks should rip off the body fat. Click on the link to see what the program is about.
